brooks



(ModeL) J. HOWLETT & E. J. BROOKS.

SHAGKLE WIRE AND CORD FOR SEALS. No. 249,357.

Patented N018, 1881.

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' f UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

JAMES HOWLETT, on JERSEY cirr, AND EDWARD J. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, N. J., assrcnoas TO n. J. BnOoKs & 00., on NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHACKLE WIRE AND CORD FOR SEALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,357, dated November 8, 1881.

' Applicationfiled October 20,1880. (ModeLl To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES HOWLETT and EDWARD J. BROOKS, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Jersey City and at East Orange, in the State of New Jersey, have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement in Shackle Wires and Cords for Seals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture to and use of seals for securing railway freightcars, baggage, packages of valuable merchandise, 850., against the entrance of unauthorized persons; and the particularclass of such seals to which our invention relates, is those r 5 seals which consist of flexible shackles of wire or cord adapted to be readily passed through staples or the like, and seal-disks, usually of lead, having apertures to receive the ends of the shackles, which are secured therein in the act of impressing the seal-disks withtheirdistinguishin g marks.

The requisite most important in sea-ls of this description is security against strippingthat is to say, againstthe withdrawal of an end 2 5 of the shackle from a pressed seal-disk without such injury to either as will insure detection. Another requisite is shackles of sufficient endurance to be reasonably free from liability to bebroken accidentally or by mischievous boys,

0 and, owing to the competition of trade, an-

other requisite is the utmost cheapness, which demands an article capable of rapid production by automatic machinery. Among the qualities desirable, but not absolutelyrequi- 5 site, are facility of manipulation,demanding shackle ends which will enter the seal-disks readily, and in the case of cordingshackles the preservation of the customary size and general characteristics.

5 The object of our invention is to furnish shackle wire and cord for seals possessing all the aforesaid requisites and desirable qualities, when used in combination with ordinary plain lead seal-disks properly pressed, and adapted I 5 at the same time for use in connection with safety seal-disks Ot' the most approved forms for protection against insecurity from inadequate pressing.

.Our invention consists, first, in a novel com 0 bination of features in a shackle wire or cord,

whereby a continuous succession of highly eflicient holding-surfaces may be formed in the process of its manufacture by automatic machinery secondly, in a novel combination of features, whereby a peripheral holding-strand is received and held with superior facility and efficiency, and the wire or cord is adapted to be made of any desired strength and size; and, thirdly, in a species of our genus of products combining all theaforesaid features or char- 6o, acteristics, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shackle-wire and seal-diskillustrating this invention, the same being shown as ready for use. Fig. 2'is a view of the same as in use, the pressed seal-disk being shownin 'section. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a piece of the shackle-wire on a larger scale, and Fig. 3

represents a cross-section thereof a-tthe linear 7o :0, Fig. 3. Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations of pieces of shackle-wire illustrating modifications; and Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are like illustrations of shackles, made in part of hemp, representingadditional modifications. Fig. 10 is aface View of three other seal-disks such as we propose to use.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The shackle-wire S, Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, consists of a loosely-twisted wire body, '11, of two strands, and a peripheral holding-strand,

c, composed of two wires twisted together and wormed upon said body in the form of an open spiral coil. Said holding-strand thus formed presents a continuous succession of efficient V holding-surfaces throughout its length, the respective wires which compose the strand assuming positions more or less nearly at right angles to the body I), at parts as shown 0 in Fig. 3, while the thin individual wires at their outermost points constitute what we term thorns, serving as sharp entering points for the strand as a whole. Moreover, the twisted strand is very materially larger in diameter, 5 and consequently more prominent 'upon the body b, than asingle strand of the same weight. The twisted body 1) serves not only to resist 1ongitudinal strain, to receive the holding-strand o, and to render the shackle-wire as a whole of the desired diameter, but its spiral. creasesprovide for applyingsaid holding-strand to the body by worming the latter therewith simultaneously with the operation of twisting the 7 body, and the successive coils of the holdingstrand are thereby held against displacement. 5 The holding-strand may also be twisted at the same operation, and it may consist of more than two wires, as may also the body I), if desired or the relative sizes of the respective wires may be varied without departing from our invention. Increasing the number of the wires in the body with a given twist and diameter renders the wormed holding-strand more open as regards its coils. Increasing the number of wires in the holding-strand is not advantageous. A loosely-twisted strand of two wires possesses the advantages above named in thehighest degree. The sizes of the wires chiefly determine the diameter of the product.

The illustrative shackle S Fig. 4, is composed of atightly-twisted wire body, W, of two strands, and a twisted holding-strand, c of two wires, the latter applied without reference to worming, being made stifi" enough to preserve its shape. S Fig. 5, has a similar holding-strand, on a single-wire body, If. S, Fig. 6, has a two-strand twisted body, I), of hemp, wormed with a holding-strand, c of tightly-twisted and sized hemp, inclosing a wire, d, which preserves its shape. A holdingstrand of single wire may be used in like manner. S Fig. 7, has a body, D of hemp, inclosing a double-twist core-wire, a, in connection with a double-twist wire holding-strand, 0 S Fig. 8, has a two-strand twisted body, I), of hemp alone, wormed with a double-twist wire holding-strand, c and S", Fig. 9, has a two-strand twisted body, W, of hemp alone, carrying a holding-strand, c", composed of hemp and fine wire twisted together.

Other modification s, together with such adaptations of existing machinery as may be required to produce any given style or size, will suggest themselves to those skilled in the manufacture of cable wire and cord.

Our improved shackle-wire is readily made small enough, of the description shown at S, for use with the smallest seal-disks. This is illustrated by Fig. 1, D representing the smallest seal-disk used by E. J. Brooks 85 Co. as a 0 part of their ta g-seal patented October 15,1878,"

h it, its crossed threading-holes, and 1" its rivetstud.

In using the improved shackle, one ofits ends, 6, is passed through a pair of staples, s s, for

example, and its two ends are then inserted in l the holes of the seal-disk, which they enter readily, being of uniform size throughout as regards outer diameter. The seal-disk is next pressed, causing the lead to enter between the coils of the holding-strand, and between its individual Wires when'the double-twist wire strand is used, as indicated in Fig. 2, securely holding the shackle ends in place.

As crossed in the safety seal-disk D, or in D Fig. 10, which represents another form of the same patented by E. J. Brooks, March 30, 1875, or as crossed by locking-pieces in the safety seal-disk D patented by E. J. Brooks, September 1, 1874, the ends of our improved shackles interlock with each other or with locking-pieces in the most effective manner; but, if properly pressed, a plain seatdisk, D Fig. 10, is amply safe in connection with said improved shackles, which are primarily intended for use therewith.

The following is what we claim as new and of our joint invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, namely:

1. Ashackle wire or cord for seals, 0 )llSlSt-lllg of two partsa body and a holding-strand- 80 one of which parts is composed of strands twisted together, the said holding-strand being coiled around said body, substantially as herein described.

2. In a shackle wire or cord for seals, the 8 combination, with a body of any description, of a superposed holding-strand composed of wires twisted together and coiled around said body, substantially as herein described, for the purpose set forth. o 3. As a new article of manufacture,shacklewire having a body composed of strands twisted together and wormed-with a peripheral hold in g-strand composed of wires twisted together, substantially as herein specified.

JAMES HOWLET'I.

EDWARD J. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

ARTEMAS B. SMITH, HENRY H. BOWMAN. 

